Breaking Ice
by Sartmang
Summary: As Juvia and Natsu become better friends, Gray is stuck wondering why he's suddenly so angry. The members of Fairy Tail can't help but speculate, of course. Mainly Gruvia / Navia brotp.
1. Chapter 1: A Request

**Chapter 1: A Request**

"Excuse me, Natsu-san.."

It always jarred him to be addressed with respect; while he rarely conversed with fairy tail's only water mage, it felt awkward and somewhat wrong to have any formalities with comrades. While Natsu smelled her coming from 5 miles away, he certainly didn't expect her to make a beeline for him. He looked at Happy and exchanged thoughts quickly. No words were needed to express their concerns. The cat nodded in agreement with how awkward this was for them.

He could usually smell her around Gray, but there were no immediate traces of the ice mage nearby. Odd. Considering how often she touched Gray, (Natsu figured she frequently hugged Gray from behind, as her scent was stronger around the ice mage's back) he was surprised to note that her scent was untainted this morning. In fact, he could tell that she did not interact with any human until just now - meaning that he was the first person she talked to today. Weird.

Where the hell was Gray, anyway? He couldn't smell that asshole anywhere this morning. Natsu quickly glanced at Happy, and a silent conversation pursued.

 _Ne, ne, Natsu!_

 _What is it, Happy?_

 _You should turn around and say "Hi!" to Juvia!_

 _I was going to! And don't you forget too!_

 _Aye!_

They both quickly turned around to face her.

"Good morning, Juvia!" said Happy.

"Hello," smiled Juvia warmly. Happy nodded in approval of her response and proceeded to organize his collection of one fish for the day. Juvia noticed Natsu's crossed arms and tilted head. She could see that he was surprised at her initiating conversation with him. She blushed.

"What's up, Juvia? You need somethin'?" At this, Juvia's eyes darted to the left, while her lips quivered. _Gajeel-kun was right,_ Juvia thought. _Juvia needs to be a better comrade - starting today!_ She quietly began to talk, but she knew Natsu could hear her just fine.

"Juvia has a favor to ask .."

While Natsu's brows furrowed in curiosity, the entire guild attempted to listen in on the conversation. Cana slowly drank her barrel of alcohol in order to hear better while Elfman stared with narrowed eyes. Levy nudged Gajeel in an interrogatory way, which resulted in him shrugging his shoulders with an approving smirk. Erza and Lucy watched with raised brows, while Mirajane moved closer from behind the bar in order to listen in. The demon bartender knew that neither Juvia or Natsu would care or look at the reactions of their guildmates - there was no need for stealth as these people wore their hearts and opinions on their sleeves. They weren't the type to hide information out of embarrassment.

 _How curious,_ Mirajane mused.

Juvia wanted to talk to the pink haired comrade in private, but she only managed to see him during brawls or announcements. Outside of jobs that usually involved a bigger group, she did not take many opportunities to talk to salamander. She felt guilty for not having established a relationship with someone who had been on so many missions with her. Now this was her chance!

"C-c-could-" she felt herself getting nervous as her cheeks turned into a dark shade. She became flustered at her nervousness, while her guild members' eyes widened at the scene before them. Juvia never requested anything from anyone, with the exception of asking for a date from certain someone! Members whispered to each other furiously, but the water mage paid no attention. She focused on her own mission for the day.

 _Juvia will not lose to sheepishness!,_ she told herself.

While Natsu possessed fantastic hearing, that did not mean he had the best processing skills for jumbled words. Juvia's stutters and hesitance were difficult to decipher.

 _For someone who's got such a fancy way with words, she sure can't string a sentence now,_ he thought.

"Wood? You need me to burn some wood?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Wou-"

"Wool?"

"No, Juvia would like-"

"Juvia's lost her kite?" piped up Happy.

"No! Natsu-san-"

"Look Juvia, you gotta be clearer! I can hear, but I still don't get it!" Natsu said, brows narrowed in confusion more so than irratation. Juvia noticed his countenance, and immediately thought of the pink haired comrade as kind. That's what she liked about Fairy Tail - no matter how callous ( _or cold_ , she thought) some members acted _,_ every action and word came from heartfelt sincerity. She knew he snapped not because he was mad at her, but because he most likely wanted to understand her. With even more resolution, Juvia acknowledged her comrade and stated her purpose with a confident, battle-ready smile.

"Juvia wants to fight Natsu-san."

* * *

In another apartment, twenty minutes away from the guild, an ice mage looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. Some mornings were easier for him, and other mornings (such as this) were a bit harder to bear. He knew it wasn't a sign of weakness to mourn over something that happened years ago, but he was also tired of the emotional strain that mourning always brought. Nightmares plagued him again since Ur's death, and it was hard to shake off the guilt. He knew blaming himself was illogical, but he could not help it. He was definitely going to be tense for the rest of the day, and he wasn't looking forward to that version of himself.

It was frustrating to wake up later that usual. Early mornings gave him the opportunity to be alone, and to be at the guild when it was less chaotic. Mirajane and Cana were usually there before him, and he often enjoyed their silent company. Cana did not want Mirajane to do all the cleaning by herself, and would usually help set up the bar and tables. Coming in earlier in the mornings also allowed her to drink as early as she'd like without any noises. The two girls would sometimes greet with Gray, but often times they silently regarded him with nods. It helped to enjoy the guild this way - one could be alone, yet comforted by a few people at the same time. These type of mornings helped refresh the three for the daily brawls and smart alec remarks from other members.

Perhaps what he needed more of was not solitude, but companionship. He tried to stay away from conversations this past week, yet he did not feel lifted. If anything, he felt worse as his thoughts would quickly recount past events. He then would set himself up to potential self-loathing. Even Natsu stayed away from his brooding.

 _"I can't fight a guy who's in a piss poor mood,"_ Natsu said, after badgering Gray and eventually giving upon his usual taunts. _"Lucy says I should leave you alone - but I'll only do this once. Okay, pervert-bastard?!"_ Natsu then stomped off and challenged everyone to a fight afterwards. Gray simply went home.

Gray grabbed his toothbrush and began squeezing toothpaste from the tube. He started brushing his teeth as he mentally prepared himself for his late morning. _Can't let this keep me down for long, though_ , Gray thought. _If others can keep up a grin, I can at least maintain a smirk. Maybe I can challenge flame-brain today...wait. Come to think of it, he threw some heavy trash talk at me not too long ago.  
_

Suddenly, his brushing pace quickened and his left hand started to grip the sink. He could feel his body recharging in faux anger, as he suddenly recalled the full onslaught of insults that Natsu used. A vein pulsed rapidly on his left temple, and a familiar eye-twitch came back. Hearing the insults over and over in his mind somehow allowed Gray to finish brushing and quickly put on his clothes.

 _... actually, did he call me a shit-eater again!?_

As he put on a shirt, two more veins began to surge, as he realized that Natsu called him an ugly-ass-pervert at least five times. _Sissy, exhibitionist, moron, stripper, full-mooner, jackass, icey-ball face. ...why, that stupid pink-haired..!_ _I'll kill him!_

He refused to mentally say thank you to Natsu for lifting his spirits.

After taking one good look at his messy apartment before closing the door, and Gray finally felt relief. The place didn't look melancholy anymore. It seemed normal, and Gray was ready to begin his day with a punch in someone's face. He ran off in the direction of the guild, ready for a fresh brawl.

 _Yeah, I think today will be a better day._

Unfortunately for Gray, the day was only going to become worse - and it would take him months to figure out why.


	2. Chapter 2: A fight

**Chapter 2: A Fight**

Three days ago, Gajeel was sitting on Juvia's couch, munching on iron-baked cookies. How she managed to cook it, he never bothered to ask. He often visited Juvia after solo missions, as she was barely a half a mile away from the guild. On that day he took the opportunity to visit her before going to the guild to seek job listings. He never said it out loud, but he was thankful for the tray of metal that Juvia always had ready for him. Even when she was out of town doing her own mission, she would leave Gajeel with an extra key in case he needed a place to crash or eat.

( _"You can always invite a certain other blue-haired girl over, Gajeel-kun. Just use the couch and not Juvia's bed okay?" she would tease._

 _"Shut up, and you're crazy," he would snap back._ )

But three days ago, Gajeel wanted to talk to Juvia about something else.

"Oi, oi! Stop hanging around ice-bastard for a while!" he complained loudly as he followed her around the kitchen. He pointed at her accusingly with left hand, and grabbed an extra iron-cookie with his right. "You're being a hypocrite."

Juvia balked as she was mixing ingredients in a bowl. "Wh-what did Juvia do to be a hypocrite?" she asked. Her grip on the wooden spoon tightened and her speed in mixing increased. Given her talent in muti-tasking, she was able to add more ingredients despite rapidly mixing and walking around the kitchen counter.

"You told me to try and make new friends, but I haven't seen you spend any time with people who like to keep their clothes on," Gajeel said, while tossing her the extra vanilla extract. Using her water like an extra arm, Juvia caught the ingredient with ease.

While he didn't want to admit it, Juvia's advice had given Gajeel the opportunity to establish solid relationships with fairy tail members. Had it not been for her talking to the master, he knew he would have been friendless for a long period of time. It bothered him to know that Juvia had not created similar relationships already. Typically, Gajeel was meant to be the loner/outcast/aloof badass, not the person people would say "Good morning!" to on a regular basis. In fact, he was actually getting sick of hearing happy go lucky greetings and wished Juvia could receive them instead.

Initially he thought that the guild treated Juvia with the same niceties as him, but over time he saw that it wasn't quite so. People usually acknowledged Juvia only if it had something to do with that frickin' nudist. Again, it frustrated him to see that his best friend lacking bonds similar to his. Juvia may have a deep sense of love and empathy for her friends, but not once did he ever see her chat with these people for more than a minute. No one thought to bother Juvia about her likes or dislikes, and he soon realized that Juvia carried the unspoken title as the stripper's fangirl.

But she was so much more than that! She had interests, fears, and baggage just like the rest of them. It also unnerved the iron dragon slayer to see Juvia pursue some shit for brains ice-stripper when she could be making better friends. Normally he didn't care for the people she was romantically interested in as they were usually weak low-lives. Additionally, he figured none of them would have lasted due to Juvia'a strong personality and magical prowess. That Bora-tool was a perfect example. No class, no brains, and no power. Weak, weak, weak. After that break-up, Gajeel pummeled Bora, threatened him, and then pummeled him again just for good measure. If only he could run Juvia's current love interest out of town, like he did with Bora.

Unfortunately, the stipper-mage was a comrade, and _inconveniently,_ he was strong and someone to rely on during battle.

He was a Grade-A asshole in Gejeel's book though. Instead of spending all her time ogling at a guy who barely acknowledged her, she could be around more tolerable, slightly less asshole-like people, around the guild. Like Levy. But he wasn't going to mention that name because he'd never hear the end of Juvia planning his wedding.

"Juvia talks to many people in Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail is her home!" she said as she stopped moving around the kitchen and put her bowl down. Her hands were on her sides, and her cheeks were puffed and red. She recounted the many battles she had with members by her side. There was Cana, Lisanna, and even Rival Lucy -

"That's mandatory shit," Gajeel said before taking another bite on an iron-cookie, while crossing his arms. He learned against the kitchen counter."What about doing something other than fawn (over ice-bastard) and fight? Like lunch or dinner, or hell - having a conversation about shit _you_ like _?_ " He could see that his statement made an impact, as Juvia sucked in her cheek and glared at the floor. He knew he didn't hurt her feelings - but he also knew her confidence took a little beating hearing something like that. After a deep sigh, she promptly resumed her baking while looking at Gajeel.

"Juvia -" she started.

"Hasn't done jack compared to _Gajeel-sama's_ guitar playing," he said, grinning. Juvia didn't miss the playful barb at her use of third-person.

"Well, if Gajeel-kun thinks -"

" _Supported_ by that lewd bunny and shorty -"

"Juvia understands-"

"And Gajeel- _sama_ plays on a _monthly_ basis-"

"Okay! Okay! Gajeel-kun, you're right."

"Hell yeah I am."

"Even though Juvia does not want to admit to being hypocrite-"

"I was just saying that shit to piss you off, gihihi."

" _Gajeel-kun_!"

"Look, Juvia. I'm just saying what you said to me when I first joined. Make _friends_ with these assholes, not just with the guy with ice balls-"

"That's not a very nice thing to say about Gray-sama!"

"Don't care. Just start talking to people. In fact, I have the perfect asshole for you to become better friends with," Gajeel said, as he reached out to grab another cookie.

"Gray-sama?" she said with hopeful eyes. Gajeel almost choked.

"What? No! Woman, what were we just talking about?! I'm talking about salamander!"

"Oh!" Juvia said. "Natsu-san? How would Juvia go about doing that?"

"Same way I did. You fight him."

"Wha-"

"Wouldn't you rather fight instead of talk, anyway?"

They both knew how Juvia was still nervous about starting conversations with people. She would sometimes shoot worrying glances at the window, hoping her anxiousness would not cause bad weather. He would see her hesitance in saying basic things such as "Good morning!" when she wasn't sure if the morning really was enjoyable for others. She had to learn that while she could affect weather, she didn't have to take responsible for how it made people feel.

"Juvia supposes so.." She started to pour the batter into a pan.

"Then it's decided. You're going to beat up salamander so you can become good friends with him." He walked back to the couch and sat down with his cookie. He decided he would rest for another ten minutes before leaving.

"That seems contradictory."

"No, it doesn't. He's perfect because he sucks at conversation too. Just trust me, damn it."

"Fine, fine.." Juvia knew Gajeel had an interesting sense of logic. During their missions, he would meticulously plan battle strategies that would sometimes make no sense to Juvia until the very end. And while she rarely complained (who was she to judge someone who thought imaginatively?), she knew it was pointless to stop his scheming as they usually turned out alright.

Outside of singing, fighting was how he would rather do things in this situation. He didn't want to go over how to socialize because he honestly didn't know how to do it himself. Small talk was stupid and pointless, but ironically enough, everyone in the guild would break into small talk with him. It drove him insane, and no matter how rude he came off, people wouldn't leave him alone. The only person that Gajeel could stand when it came to small talk was Levy. But he wasn't going to tell Juvia that.

He also chose this option because that was how he began to respect her and see her as an equal. Fighting her removed any doubts he had about her strength ,and it allowed him to understand her reasoning and morale. She wasn't cruel when she fought, but she wasn't easy-going as well. Any quality fighter would understand that and come to respect her. Maybe ice-dick didn't figure that out, but salamander could.

Plus, he _really_ enjoyed the idea of salamander getting slammed with water over and over again. He made a slight snort at the thought.

"Did you say anything, Gajeel-kun?"

"Nope."

Three days later, Juvia walked into the guild and headed straight for Natsu.

* * *

The entire guild picked up their jaws after hearing Juvia's request. While Natsu was initially taken off guard, he immediately grinned in response. Juvia's way of speaking was tricky to understand, but if her medium of communication involved a fight, he was sure they'd be speaking the same language in no time. Other than Erza and occasionally Cana, Natsu did not fight many of the female mages. This was new, and potentially fun.

 _Ne, ne, Natsu!_

 _What is it_?

 _Be careful, she's gonna use her water!_

 _I will!_ _We already know that!_

 _Aye!_

"A fight!?" Natsu said. "That's all you had to say! Let's go right now-" A wave of water encapsulated him in a human sized ball, and he realized he couldn't breathe. As he was thrown out of the nearest window, he felt sharp bursts of water hit him in the gut. He recalled seeing her Ice Lock before, but he didn't realize that it could grab, fling, and _punch_ someone simultaneously. Fairy tail members looked on with awe. Happy's sing-song voice could he heard echoing from the guild hall: "I tooooold you!"

Seeing Juvia's innocent smile made him want to win even more.

"Juvia does not want to ruin the guild after all the hard work everyone put into rebuilding it," she said while hoping out of another window. A rather large fight took place last month, and Master was ranting for days. This level of consideration impressed the guild members, as they also hopped out of the same window and began cheering.

"Look at that, Natsu! You should take a page outta her book!"

"Yeah, start your fights outside for once so I can drink in peace!"

"JUVIA IS VERY MANLY!"

"Good luck, Juvia-chan!"

"C'mon, Natsu! That's all you got?"

Members made bets on who could make the first strike, and who would win overall. Natsu's ears picked up every little snicker. He attempted to yell from within the Water Lock: "Shaddup! I'll deal with you all later!" The threat only made his guild members laugh more, as whatever he said came out as furious bubbles. Juvia could only giggle at the situation.

Her laugh reminded the fire mage of his situation, and he attempted to heat the water. After a fifteen second struggle, Juvia released her hold and Natsu dropped to the ground.

 _I swear she enjoyed watching me suffer. No wonder she and that Gajeel-bastard are friends .._ Natsu thought, as he hacked out bits of water from his throat. Regardless, he grinned. This was already turning out to be more enjoyable than he thought it would be.

"Is Natsu-san ready?" Water began to swirl behind Juvia's fingertips.

"That was a lucky shot, you know. From this point on, I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Please don't. Juvia's feelings would be hurt."

With that, Natsu immediately ran up to her with inflamed arms. Some guild members gasped, while others watched in anticipation. Everyone knew how hasty Natsu could get in a fight, but the image of Juvia getting hit with a fiery punch was new and almost uncomfortable. Regardless, Juvia's face remained calm, but with a hint of a smile. A ten feet layer of water shielded her immediately, but only smoke could be seen as Natsu's flames evaporated most of the water.

"Ha! You'll have to do better than that!" said Natsu as his fist was just about to connect with her nose. However, he forgot that her body was also made out of water. His fist, arm, and eventually entire body passed through the water mage. He attempted to throw another punch, and noticed that she was ready to counter with a solidified kick. Having full confidence in his ability to overpower her kick, Natsu decided to decrease the strength behind his fist before he could hit her calf. It wouldn't do to break her leg when they just got started.

However, his weakened fist went through water instead.

 _Damn it, she turned into water again!_

Juvia took this opportunity to use her Water Lock once again, and threw him even farther away from the guild. While doing so, she realized she could easily over power Natsu by spinning him around in water. It would be an easy win, as spinning him around would cause him to vomit and eventually be incapacitated.

 _That would be a disservice to you, Natsu-san,_ Juvia thought with a smile. It would be also be a cheap shot, and Fairy Tail members were (usually _)_ above that. She lifted her hand and prepared to release the lock, but immediately felt something wrong. It was as if there was no person to grasp at all! There was little water left to take control of, and Juvia realized that Natsu released a big enough fire to boil and evaporate all the surrounding water. He then sprinted towards Juvia with fiery fists. Expecting her to shield herself with water, he summoned dozens of canon-like flames to handle each tidal wave of water that was aimed towards him. Her defenses quickly turned into hot steam, allowing Natsu to continue running towards her.

"You better have more water in stock, Juvia - because I'll just steam you out!" Natsu grinned. He sensed Juvia rising to the bait, and saw a hot tidal wave of water aimed towards him. Again, he created several bursts of flames to counter, but the tidal wave separated into smaller waves and extinguished his flames. It made Natsu realize that he had to strengthen and manipulate his attacks to move in a way that matched the speed and accuracy of her water. He never thought of blasting his fire and then having it move left and right.

The realization of this made him grin even more. _She makes for a good training partner!_ he thought.

"Juvia can have just as much water as Natsu-san has fire!" Juvia flashed a small smile as sweat began to trickle past her temple. Her stamina was beginning to wear, but she had to try her hardest! She wouldn't admit this to Natsu, but the intensity of his offense took a lot of energy to adequately counter.

"Let's see if that's true!" He launched an attack that was shaped like a dragon. It was then that Juvia realized that she needed to keep her emotions calm, as heating the water only made her attacks easier for Natsu to evaporate.

She needed to train more - it was not Natsu's teasing that got her slightly unhinged. Rather, it was the slight anger she felt towards herself when realizing all the lost opportunities to bond with her family. This fight was going well, but she could have done this so much earlier! She could have trained with Lucy-san, Levy-san, and even Mirajane if she had just asked...

She shook her head. She couldn't let her emotions get the best of her. Her mind began to wander again. She believed that everyone suffered whenever Juvia felt bad. _Therefore, Juvia should not ever be sad, or the rain would come back._ _But Juvia feels low beyond low, for not training like this with Natsu-san earlier..._

"O-OI! You better block this one!" Natsu yelled at Juvia. He expected her to counter one of his stronger attacks with ease, but Juvia's mind was, for some crazy reason, not focused on blocking. The guild members also took notice of Juvia's light daze, and shouted warnings. This attack was good enough to bring the guild down. Again.

"Hey Juvia! Watch out!"

"Seriously, Natsu!?"

"Don't let that knuckle-head get to you!"

"Blast it away!"

"Run!"

Lucy and Erza shot nasty glares at Natsu. This made him slightly shrink. He saw Erza equipping into armor, and Lucy taking out one of her keys. If they had to save Juvia from this attack, it meant that Natsu was being too hasty again. Last week he fried Elfman on accident, and Erza had pummeled him while Lucy reprimanded him. They had warned him to only challenge people who could take his attacks, and had told him not to overdo it. _Ugh,_ Natsu thought. _C'mon, Juvia!_ _You gotta block this one, or they're gonna have my head!_

Suddenly a strong wave of magical power was felt, and the water that surrounded Juvia quadrupled. Rotating spikes, reminiscent of drills were seen shooting towards each and every individual flame. She not only protected herself; she had gone on the offensive as well. Each and every one of Natsu's flames were turned into steam once again.

"Sorry, Natsu-san. Juvia's mind became blank for a second.." Juvia said, while looking down. She already felt as if she lost without even trying her hardest. Surely, he must hate her for losing concentration. The clouds began to gather around the guild, and she could hear her guild mates saying that perhaps the fight could happen on a _better day_ , when it _wasn't_ raining. She started to walk towards the guild to get her things, but heard a loud clap behind her.

She turned around and saw Natsu looking straight at her, pounded his fists together in delight.

"That makes us even, since you caught me off guard last time. Ready?" Her eyes widened in shock, and she could feel her eyes misting at his insistence to keep sparring. He didn't say anything negative about the rain. The rain wasn't depressing to him. The clouds began to clear again, and she heard her guild members mutter about the weather being weird today as she shuffled back outside. It didn't matter, she realized. _One comrade at a time_ , Juvia said to herself. _Don't focus on feeling bad all the time. Yes. Juvia can do this! She has to!  
_

"Ready!" Juvia yelled, as she launched a yet another massive wave towards the fire mage.

"That's more like it!"

And so they continued their battle for the next twenty minutes. Guild members once again began cheering.

 _This is fun!_ both Juvia and Natsu thought.

* * *

Author's Note: Gray's a comin'!


	3. Chapter 3: A Quick Run

**Chapter 3: A Quick Run**

As Gray ran through the market area of town, he heard gasps and shouts. Children were rushed into stores, while a few adults stayed outside holding brooms, sticks, or even utensils. _Something must have happened to push these guys to be on the defensive_ , Gray thought. Believing that people's lives were potentially in danger, he decided that it was his job as a mage to investigate and see what he could do to help. He looked for the nearest person who could inform him about the situation. Everyone looked so scandalized and confused! He was concerned, on-edge, and battle ready.

He was also completely naked.

In his haste to reach the guild, Gray had somehow stripped off all his clothes immediately after he put them on. An hour later from now, Gray would realize that he left his belongings right in front of his door, complete with underwear and socks.

However, as of right now, Gray had been unwittingly sprinting from his apartment to the guild with nothing but his birthday suit. Still, he continued to assess the area for any person who could provide him with information. Around a candle store, he locked eyes with an elderly woman - who was clearly (and understandably) alarmed at his presence. Before he had a chance to ask what happened, the woman backed away from him, eyes widening in horror. _It's like she just saw something she shouldn't have,_ he thought darkly.

"Help!" she said, waving a water pail around her. "Stay back!"

"What's going on?" Gray asked, walking closer to the woman. "I'm here to help, granny..." This didn't seem to calm her, her jaw began to quiver. She dropped the water pail and continued to back away until she hit the door frame of the candle store. Upon realizing that she could not run away from Gray, she frantically looked left and right.

"There's a pervert here! Help! Make him go away!" she cried.

"A pervert!? Where!" He too looked left and right, as (what Elfman would call) his "MANhood" whipped also around in the same direction.

 _No wonder this old lady looks traumatized!_ Gray thought. He pounded his fists against his each other. "Don't worry - I'll kick this guy's ass for you, lady! Which way did he go?"

Despite not hearing a word Gray said to her from the start, the woman moved in a way that responded to his question. She attempted to point to him with one hand, and covered her eyes with the other. Unfortunately, her pointer finger was shaking too much, giving the impression that the pervert made a _very_ slight left. He narrowed his eyes and followed the direction of the woman's inaccurate pointing. He turned around with the intent chase after the pervert, not realizing that he was now showing the poor woman his bare _derrière._

"Please help! He's showing _everything_ and running around!" he heard her cry behind him.

"Got it! I'll take care of this - thanks!" He ran in and out of stores to find the town pervert. _What a bastard. He probably just ran off not too long ago._ Gray thought grimly.

The "pervert" must have been swift, Gray thought. By the time Gray entered a store, the people inside were either in mid-scream and were too shocked to provide him any information. The guy must have been dangling all his bits, shocking the townsfolk!

They all seemed to avoid eye-contact with Gray, which was odd. Most townspeople knew that he was a fairy tail mage. Perhaps while this pervert was doing his bidding, he proclaimed himself to be a mage? The thought infuriated Gray even more. What if this pervert mage proclaimed that he was from Fairy Tail? It wouldn't be the first time people tried to ruin the name of the guild through heinous acts…

 _To scare the eldery and children too, that son of a bitch._ Gray thought bitterly to himself. _I'll get to the bottom of this before I settle things with Natsu. If this guy happens to be a mage, lying about being a Fairy Tail member...!_ He continued to search for the next thirty minutes.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the pervert that's been scaring everyone. Do you happen to know where he went?" he asked a cashier. The man blinked, and looked offended at being asked such a question.

"You're joking, right?"

"Of course not! Would a mage from Fairy Tail lie?" Gray replied.

"That's what I used to think!" he said, glaring back at Gray and then quickly looking away. Gray's eye could only twitch at the man's lack of eye-contact.

"Is he telling people he's from Faiy Tail?!"

"Not telling. _Showing._ "

"What the-? What the heck does that even mean?!" Gray yelled, ruffling his hair in frustration. Nothing made sense, and he had to get back to the guild soon! He wanted to stomp around the store in anger, as this was his seventh stop already. However, he made sure not to make any sudden movements this time, as he learned from his visits that practically any movement from him made people cringe.

"Please .. please just leave me and my store in peace. I'd really like to make a sale today," the cashier said, finally looking down. "I can't take this anymore. The longer you stay here, the longer it'll take for this image to leave my mind." A familiar vein started to pulse on Gray's left temple.

"You make it sound like **I'm** the pervert from Fairy Tail," he said gruffly. The cashier sputtered, and was ready to yell with a retort. Before the store owner could say anything back, a young child yelled out in glee and pointed right at the ice mage's bottom regions.

"Look, Mama!"

"Honey, look away!"

"But he's showing his -"

"Honey, please!" The mother quickly removed the child from the area while shooting a quick glare at Gray. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" she yelled. Gray could only look back in confusion, wondering if everyone hated him by principle. He watched the mother and child run off into the store down the street, and noticed that that particular store specialized in mirrors.

 _Might as well go check that place too,_ Gray thought. _Leave no stone unturned..._

The mirror shop was apparently having a huge sale today; behind the glass windows stood large, ornate mirrors. These jeweled items were displayed beautifully, and even Gray thought they were quite fancy. As he walked up to the store, he noticed the quality of the glass - and compared them to the sharpness of his own ice. _What are you doing looking at mirrors, Gray. You got a job to do and a moron to pummel!_ he berated him. He decided to sprint to the store and quickly get this next visit over with. As he got closer, he aptly noticed that a particularly large mirror was positioned in his direction, and that he was soon to see his own reflection.

The next few moments happened in less than two seconds.

First he saw his head crown from the bottom of the mirror - and noticed that this mirror also acted a magnifying glass. His head was huge. Running closer to the store, he soon saw that his chest was twice as large as what a normal mirror would show.

He saw his Fairy Tail tattoo, and realized that his chest was bare.

 _Wait ..._ Gray thought.

That meant he had no shirt.

For how long did he not have a shirt?

Gray became paler upon realization. _Oh, for shit's sake NO. No no no no! This can't be happening!_ Gray screamed at himself. His mind panicked but his body continued to move. By the time Gray made himself stop mid-sprint, the entire front of his body was enlarged and on display. The glare of the morning sun only served to emphasize everything and anything. Gray realized that not only did the gasps and screams make sense, they suddenly became louder.

There were only two times when Gray wanted to kill himself. Today counted as his third.

"Shit!" he cursed at himself, before running straight back home.

* * *

Author's Note: Now back to the fight!


	4. Chapter 4: A Beginning

**Chapter 4: A Beginning**

Within the last ten minutes of the match, Juvia and Natsu began to feel tired. While this fight was meant to be light-hearted, a mild competition began to form without either really realizing it. This led to more high level attacks that demanded counters from both sides, and soon a sort of ebb and flow began to emanate between the mages. Water would turn into smoke, while fire would turn into fog. The two were complimentary in a way that was unprecedented, leaving their Fairy Tail guild mates in mild awe. While they initially sat back in jest of the match, they began to lean in with much more critical eyes.

"Juvia-chan is more manly than I realized," said Elfman. This was new. Water was indeed a good counter for fire, but Fairy Tail had yet to meet a water mage who could keep up with Natsu.

"Fool! She has just as much spirit as that block head over there," replied Cana, as she raised her jug of beer with pride. She would never forget the sacrifice Juvia made for her in front of Fried.

"I didn't know Juvia could be this strong," said Lucy. "I've fought with her before, but this is on a whole new level."

"She is similar to Natsu," said Erza with her arms crossed. _A bit too similar, honestly_ , she thought. Members looked at her with curious eyes, wondering what she was talking about. "That girl has some hidden power that only gets unlocked when her emotions are high. I don't think she's had the chance to show her true strength, while Natsu practically breathes 100% of his emotions."

"So then her emotions affect her fighting?" asked Lisanna.

"Her emotions can affect the _weather,"_ said Cana.

"I think," Lucy interrupted "What Erza-san is trying to say is that Juvia can now focus her emotions to a point that allows for better fighting. She's not distracted by anything this time."

"So in other words-" Cana replied.

"She can fight even _better_ when Gray isn't here," finished Elfman.

"It seems so.." agreed Erza. _That's not a good thing, sadly._

"Wow! Juvia-chan is really cool!" said Lisanna.

While the five mages continued to talk amongst themselves, behind them stood Gajeel. He watched the match in glee. _So these guys aren't all that biased. Huh!_ he thought. It was a good idea to push his Juvia to ask that dumb Salamander for a fight. Plus, she needed a new sparring partner anyway. She and Gajeel were always in sync; a new person couldn't hurt either. _Plus, Salamander got to choke on water more times than I could count. This is too good to be true!_

"Juvia will not lose!"

"Yeah, well, Natsu won't either - I mean I won't lose either! Dangit, Juvia!" Natsu yelled back in reply. He saw her eyes widen a little bit before he heard her laugh.

Had he heard her laugh before?

No, this was pleasant, much more pleasant that Natsu would have given her credit for in the past. This sounded light and free-spirited, and it definitely was not a sound he had ever heard her make when she was around Gray.

He liked it.

It reminded him of Lucy.

Erasing his thoughts, he dodged what looked like a whip made out of water. He had a cut on both his ankles from the last time he saw the whip, and made sure not to forget how sharp water could feel at the speed which she manipulated. He attempted to counter by spitting flames out of his mouth, and the effect was similar to gunshots. One of the flames tore at her skirt before she activated another water barrier.

 _The barrier is becoming smaller, so I bet she's getting tired,_ Nastu thought. _Well, I'm in no better shape either. I can go all out if I have to, but I promised Erza and Lucy that I would only do friendly matches._..

Juvia could see Natsu calculating his next move, and was surprised to see him use no fire this time. He was running straight for her instead, and she knew she could not keep up her shield for long. _If only Juvia could freeze ice like Gray-sama, then I could simply trip Natsu-san up and encapsulate him..._ she thought sadly. _No! Work though it - this can be done!_

For Juvia, it felt as if there were two battles taking place in tandem - one with Natsu and the other with her crippling self-esteem. She had to constantly win over the latter in order to have a chance of being on par with the former. It was roller coaster of emotions to control! She would feel insecure over one thing, and would will her herself to be better right afterwards. Perhaps Natsu didn't notice it, but the times he managed to nick her were the time she felt depressed. The times she managed to nick _him_ were the times she felt in control.

She could see him sprinting over quickly. _No time to feel bad now._ Her steel resolve came back again, and she diminished all her shields in order to physically block Natsu's kick with her arms. She had to conserve what little magic she had.

"Juvia can do this!"

"Bad move, Juvia!" Natsu said, and she realized his feet began to get hot. And here she thought they were going to simply spar without elemental attacks!

He managed to burn part of her sleeve off before another water whip grabbed his other foot and pulled. Natsu immediately fell back, but in a manner that was too quick to seem natural. Juvia's eyes narrowed as she realized that he expected this. Instead of landing on the ground unceremoniously, Natsu once again heated up his entire body to evaporate the whip. He then immediately planted both his hands on the ground in attempt to launch himself towards Juvia.

 _What a counter,_ Juvia thought. Not wanting to have his feet hit her in the face, Juvia once again made another whip that attempted to grab at Natsu's arms. Unfortunately, it didn't work as she realized his body entire was already hot enough to evaporate any and all of her water attacks. _He even predicted the second whip too,_ she thought. _He might win, and then everything would be over ... no! Juvia needs to have this person acknowledge her strength!_

With that thought in mind, she prepared her body to turn into liquid one last time right before Natsu's feet landed. His feet went through her liquefied face, but no impact had actually happened. Juvia had nicks and slight burns on her body, but Natsu had yet to land a punch on her. While on the other hand, Juvia had not made a significant hit to render Natsu immobile. He too only had cuts and scrapes. They both jumped away from each other, slightly panting.

"Damn it!" Natsu said as he began to stomp like a child. He pointed at her. "I thought I had you this time!"

"Juvia thought so too - but she didn't want to lose just yet!" She resumed a defensive stance, urging Natsu to continue.

"Huh," Natsu said, cracking his knuckles. "Well then, I know I can't keep up with more fire attacks."

"And Juvia cannot turn into water for much longer, either."

"Then let's try physical attacks for a bit!" Natsu said, and ran straight towards Juvia before she had time to reply.

 _Here he comes!_ Juvia thought. She had only sparred with Gajeel and occasionally Lily-san. She always had a good grasp for the basics, but since joining Fairy Tail, she began to train more furiously on her own. Despite the training, she was never able to use her hand to hand combat skills during the more serious fights, given that she was either covering others with water shields or others were covering for her. She wasn't sure what to expect from Natsu of all people.

She blocked another kick from him with her arms, and she could feel even more weight and pressure from the last time. He was definitely stronger, and his agility would make things even harder. Using sheer force, she attempted to shove him back with her crossed arms before launching a kick of her own. He dodged this with ease, as she expected. Despite barely moving, he was far enough for her to attempt a quick knee to the stomach instead. This he couldn't predict, as she heard slight "Oof!" from him. She managed to push him back another inch before using her elbow to shove him into the ground. Both were about to fall on the floor.

"Nice try, Juvia!" said Natsu mid-fall as he managed to block her elbow last minute. _What is it with Natsu-san always doing something mid-fall,_ Juvia thought. He pushed her off of him before expertly crouching on the floor. Before Juvia could gain her momentum, he swiped at her feet. He grinned when he heard a slight squeal from her, and he began to focus more energy on his hand.

Halfway through falling, Juvia saw Natsu ready to counter with fire.

"No way!" Juvia yelled, willing herself to block by making sure her feet could materialize into water. She would have counter by turning her entire body into water as a last resort.

"Gotcha!" Natsu said triumphantly.

Before either attacks made contact, a presence snuck between the two mages. One hand held Natsu's wrist, while the other held onto Juvia's ankle.

It took a moment for both warriors to understand what had just happened.

"Erza-san!" Juvia cried aloud. Embarrassed to be held upside down, she covered herself with her skirt; Natsu could easily see her underwear from the angle the she was being held.

 _Juvia is but a pure woman!_

"I didn't go overboard this time, so why'd you stop the fight!" said Natsu, trying to shake Erza's grip off of him.

"I didn't want to stop it either," the red-haired woman replied. "But any longer, and the surrounding area would have been made into mud."

"What?" both replied.

"Take a look for yourselves," Erza said, as she turned her head, motioning them to look in the direction she now faced. Despite being upside down, Juvia could clearly see the number of fallen tries. Some were soaking wet while others had no leaves due to being completely burnt. Natsu only sweat dropped at the amount of damage made this time, but he still didn't want the fight to end.

"Che," Natsu said in reply, turning his head away with a slight blush. "That's nothing compared to what we could have done."

"I think you're right," agreed Erza, surveying the area again. "This level of damage is elementary when compared to regular missions."

"See? What did I tell you.."

"You and Gray have done much worse," Erza agreed, getting side-tracked.

"Juvia doesn't think that's the point.."

"I don't think Master will be too upset since the guild doesn't have a scratch.." chimed in Mira from behind. This interruption allowed Erza to remember her original position as the self-appointed mediator of the match. "But I don't think he'll appreciate the potholes you two made, either."

"Yes. I agree. So then, the match is a draw for now," said Erza, finally letting go of both mages.

"Just like every match here that lasts over 10 minutes," said Mira offhandedly, with a smile on her face. "Nice job, you two."

The rest of the guild members ran to group.

"Juvia, that was amazing!" said Lucy.

"Th-thanks, Lucy-san" said Juvia. She wasn't sure how to take compliments, since she rarely got them. Neither girls noticed Juvia's hesitation and continued to press on with more positive comments.

"Yes, let's spar sometime! I'm pretty fast too, and we can work on hand-to-hand!" said Lisanna. This surprised Juvia even more. Another sparring partner? Maybe Gajeel was right - fighting can lead to friendships!

"Really?" Juvia said, eyes sparkling with no traces of shyness. She grabbed Lisanna's hands and shook them up and down. "Juvia would love to!"

"I'll join in as well! I need to work on my basic training too.." Lucy said.

The girls continued to to laugh and plan, while Elfman walked over and slapped Natsu on the back in a manner that was a bit too hard.

"Hey, that was pretty good!" said Elfman. He continued to slap Natsu repeatedly, not noticing Natsu having to tense his muscles to reduce damage. "I didn't know you had it in you to control yourself long enough for a decent match!" Somehow each slap pushed Natsu closer to remembering snide comments from 30 minutes ago.

"Oh yeah?!" yelled Natsu, turning around suddenly. "Don't think I forgot the crap you said earlier about me!" Elfman stood back, and thought for a moment. Did he say something insulting?

"That was Cana!" yelled Elfman, realizing that he was being wrongly accused.

"Who said my name?" slurred Cana. "What the hell do you want?"

"That was the both of you!" replied Natsu, with fire concentrating around his hand again.

"So both of you want a piece of me, eh? Always too loud, jeez!" she replied, running over with cards ready.

"Looks like you still have a long way to go before you're manly enough to accept a compliment!" Elfman yelled, charging towards Natsu.

"Bring it!"

Before another fight took place, all three fighters heard a familiar sheathing of a sword. Behind them stood Erza with a menacing glare; her eyes dared them to continue fighting. Mira was also smiling in a way that didn't look friendly.

"Let's please get back inside the guild before Master comes back, hm?" Mira said slowly. "I'd hate to think what would happen if even more damage took place right after we ended the fight…right?"

With that, the three members gulped, nodded, and walked back to the guild in silence with two of Fairy Tail's fiercest warriors on their tails. Behind them all were Juvia, Lucy, and Lisanna - who didn't seem to notice the tense mood in front of them as they talked happily amongst themselves.

* * *

Gajeel only shook his head at how weird this party looked from far away. He was walked towards the guild once Erza stopped the fight, not wanting to get caught up with the aftermath. _Every aftermath ends in another fight_ , Gajeel thought. _As much as I'd like to join that, it's not worth it to take any attention away from Juvia right now._ He nodded to himself as he ate another iron cookie. _Damn, I'm good!_ He leaned against the window that Juvia jumped out of earlier before noticing Pantherlily walking up to him.

"That was an impressive fight," Pantherlily said, sitting on the window ledge. They continued to watch Natsu, Elfman, and Cana enter the guild with their heads down. Like children, however, once Mira and Erza left them alone, they bounced right back to their regular antics; Natsu went straight to Juvia with Elfman following behind, and Cana brusquely walked to another barrel of beer.

"Of course it was," Gajeel replied.

"I'm aware of Natsu's strength, but it was good to see Juvia being on par in a friendly match," mused Pantherlily. He turned to Gajeel, who was ready to munch on another iron cookie. How many of these did he have on hand? "I'm guessing you had something to do with this."

This led to Gajeel choking on a cookie.

"Don't spoil anything!" Gajeel said immediately after recovering.

"Spoil what? What exactly did you do?"

"He told her to fight Natsu so they could become better friends," said Levy from behind. Her back was facing them, as she was reading a book and taking notes. "Gajeel wants Juvia to have friends, so he told her to do it in a way that didn't involve talking. Right, Gajeel?" she said.

"How sincere," Pantherlily said.

"Don't say all that stuff here!" Gajeel said, ready to stomp his foot like a familiar dragon mage.

"No one can hear us though," Patherlily said.

"What?"

"I've had the word silence written above us this whole time," said Levy, as she pointed up. True to her words, Gajeel noticed a small scribble that indeed said "SILENCE" above them. Only sharp eyes could see it, as it was written with colors that matched the background perfectly. She had gotten better at being subtle. "So make sure _you_ don't spoil anything by acting out, okay?" Levy said, finally looking up from her book.

Sometimes Gajeel hated her as much as he found her endearingly conniving. Looking forward, he silently walked up to Levy and quickly closed her book shut.

"Hey!" she said.

"Didn't you say not act out, shorty?" He replied, his eyes looking out the window.

"Why, you-!"

"You two are doing a fine job acting normal," Pantherlily interrupted. "These are actions are no different than any other day." He knew the exact effect his words had on the two, and made sure to leave right before Gajeel had anything smart to say. Looking back, he saw Levy open her book with a slight blush while Gajeel sat on the table, continuing to look out the window. He shook his head with light smile before wandering over to Happy and Carla.

It took another 10 minutes before anyone said anything.

"It was very sweet of you though, Gajeel," Levy said, not looking at him again.

"I didn't do anything."

"Of course you didn't."

"Don't patronize me."

"Then don't close my book."

"Che!"

* * *

After 3 hours of running back and forth, Gray finally had enough clothing to be considered decent in public. He walked towards Fair Tail and noticed a weird number of pot holes and mangled trees around the area.

 _Hmph. Looks like the guys already started without me,_ Gray thought. _Well, it is mid-afternoon._ He walked past the burnt trees, and attempted to avoid tripping into puddles of water or dried up mud. He paid no attention to just who had fought, and solely focused on what was about to happen - his oncoming, daily ritual of fighting Natsu. He needed this release after the humiliation he just endured in town.

"Ugh, these random puddles are annoying to deal with," he muttered to himself before entering the guild.

A/N: .. :D


	5. Chapter 5: A Collision

Author's Note: Hey guys, it's my first author's note – on any of my fics! Thanks for reading. To be honest, I'm surprised that this fanfic has any reviews or followers at all. I try to write fiction on the side so to combat my technical writing skills and I am glad that it's been acknowledged by people like you!

I will not promise anything regarding updates or what the actual content of this fanfic will consist of, but I do promise to only post what I am comfortable writing. This is a disclaimer stating that I will not post chapters simply for reviews or to get this story "out of the way," so to speak (a bad habit that unfortunately exists within this domain of writing). So whether or not you enjoy the story, please know that I did put effort into making chapters enjoyable as well as presentable. You guys deserve at least that much!

Cheers with no sneers,

Sartmang

* * *

Before entering the guild, Gray did a quick scan. It became habitual to critically survey his surroundings within the past two years, thanks to a certain water mage. Back then he reasoned that it would be good training to avoid being caught off guard from future enemies. Despite the woman's blatant, if not outrageous bursts of affection for him, she was conniving enough to remain stealthy if she so wished. He initially thought that once he could detect her he would dodge and just go on with his day. And yet, when he became a master at knowing where and when she was in the room, he rationalized that there was no actual need to avoid her. Detecting her was enough training, right? She was absolutely harmless. It's not as if he hugged her back or anything. There was nothing weird about expecting it and then passively accepting it.

 _Odd,_ Gray thought. _I thought I'd see her before I could even look for Natsu._

Five seconds had passed and he felt the urge to scratch his back. He absolutely refused to acknowledge that for once his back felt cold. He was ice-mage, for pete's sake. The backs of ice mages are don't feel uncomfortably cold! He decided to ignore it and continued to scan. He saw that Natsu was sitting near the bar, chatting excitedly with someone who was wearing bright blue.

 _Probably Lucy_ , he thought. Gray immediately walked towards his rival. _Time for battle!_

"So, Juvia-" Natsu said.

 _Wait, what?_

He definitely heard her name, but that did not make sense. She couldn't be here - and with that loudmouth of all people. She was usually near the door or near Gajeel. Right now Gajeel was talking to Levy near the windows, he already knew that Juvia wasn't there. Again, he felt his back become annoyingly cold. Maybe his ears were fooling him. Whatever.

"- let's do a mission together!" Natsu finished.

 _There we go. I heard wrong. Must have been Lucy._ It would make sense that he would bother Lucy for another hair-brained mission that could cost their lives. That was normal _._ Gray began to roll his eyes in disdain (while internally sighing in relief), and he continued to walk towards the bar. However, he stopped mid-track when he heard a very familiar voice in place of Natsu's infamous blonde friend.

"Juvia would love to!"

He blinked in surprise. He was right that Natsu was talking to someone in a blue outfit, but he failed to recognize that this person also had blue hair.

"Alright, let's grab one off the board! Oh, but I forgot to ask –"

Suddenly the ice mage felt a slight ringing in his ears. His back felt even colder, and he was unsure of what to think. This was definitely happening. His rival and his something-that-can't-be-described-right-now were actually talking to each other? They almost never talk to each other! He felt a prick in his neck and his fighting spirit dwindled and rekindled multiple times. He was not sure what it was he feeling, but he was certain it was unpleasant. Looking at them made him feel odd things, which was not what he expected or wanted when he arrived at the guild.

He stopped walking towards the pair, and watched for a bit longer just to further to confirm what he just saw. Composure was needed here. What was the big deal, anyway? It was normal for guild mates to talk to each other, right?

 _But Juvia doesn't talk to everyone,_ another voice in his head reasoned. There was no need to feel guilty about that. That was her choice, right? So it was her choice to change her mind and talk to someone else. There was nothing wrong with that, and it wasn't as if he expected her undying attention. In fact, he wish she had stopped it ages ago. Right? Right.

"-wanna spare again!?" he heard Natsu yell.

 _And now they're sparring partners._

Upon hearing that, Gray decided to leave the guild in hopes that no one would notice his quick entry and even quicker departure. He had no interest to fight now. As he got closer to the guild door, he winced upon hearing his name from a very loud drunkard.

"Hey, Gray! Come drink with me, it's been a while!" Cana yelled. She happened to be sitting only one seat away from the duo he wanted to avoid, and she decided to use a loud enough voice for the entire guild to hear. Gray had to be cool. It's not like anyone could hear his thoughts. No one knew that Natsu and Juvia talking bothered him greatly. He answered in the most a typical aloof manner he could muster.

"Man, you just never stop do you?" he replied with a smirk. "I'll pass-"

"You haven't been to the guild in a while! Drink up!" Cana said, banging on the table. "You got a seat right next to me!"

The seat was also right next to Natsu, who was looking at him somewhat tensely. Apparently Natsu had set his eyes on the ice-mage once Cana started yelling. Gray decided to sit, telling Cana that he would drink only one beer today and go straight home. He heard Salamander's voice as he sat down.

"Ice-balls," Natsu greeted.

"Flaming anus," Gray said back.

 _I seriously have no good comebacks,_ Gray thought to himself. _He can pretty much call me blue balls in a thousand ways, and I'm stuck with synonyms about fire that make me sound gay for him._

"You look better than last week," Natsu said with a derisive sniff. It was a clear gesture that showed his concern for the ice-mage, and Gray felt somewhat guilty for worrying the pink haired moron.

"I'm ready to fight when you are," Gray said, completely lying. Natsu looked at him once more with narrowed eyes, in a way that seemed too analytical for his character. _Don't tell me I'm that readable,_ Gray thought as he quickly started gathering ice in his hand.

"Nope!" Natsu said as he raised his hand with a clear "stop" gesture. This caused Gray to blink in mild surprise. Cana paid no attention to the conversation as she began to sing to herself in a drunken stupor. Natsu continued. "Something is still up your ass and I want to fight you at 100%. Besides, I've found myself a sparring partner!"

"And who might that be?" Gray wondered if he was masochistic, in that he was annoying himself on purpose by pretending now to know. He could see Natsu excitedly smirking as if he was about to fight; the pink-haired guildmate gathered his fists-to-hips posture.

"It's- whoah!" Natsu said as he was suddenly elbowed away.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia said happily, as she got out of her seat and stood directly in front of the ice mage. "Juvia was worried out you! Are you feeling well?" Once he regained his composure, Natsu looked at Juvia with a decidedly bored expression, not amused by being interrupted. As he took his seat, he rested his elbow on the bar with a hand on his face. He wasn't actually miffed at the water mage's intrusion; rather, he seemed more anxious to just announce who he would be fighting. His other hand rested on his knee, and Gray could see his impatient tapping.

 _He can't be jealous, right?_ Gray thought. Internally, he shook his head. _Jealous of what – there's nothing going on between me and her!_

"I'm fine, Juvia," Gray said with a straight face. "Just felt a bit under the weather. Thanks."

"That's good! Let Juvia know if you need anything, okay?" she said.

He hated to admit how incredibly clear and blue her eyes could be when she was earnest. Gray was unsure if Juvia could even tell a lie with a face that could convey so much emotion.

"Okay," Gray said with a voice he felt did not match his usual cool, calm, and collected smile. Immediately he realized that he got caught in her eyes, and he relished the warmth by replying in kind. He and Juvia blinked in slight surprise at his honesty. Not knowing what to do, he looked away quickly and coughed.

 _Smooth_ , he said sarcastically to himself.

Juvia blinked and took this chance to shake her head as if telling herself that what she saw did not take place. She resumed her regular smile, though from the corner of Gray's eyes he could see her slightly blushing.

"Er -.. good," she said, and quickly turned around and face Natsu. "Natsu-san, when do you want to fight again?"

This surprised both Gray and Natsu, and neither of them expected the water mage to have such a sort conversation with her beloved. For a moment, Gray entertained the thought that maybe she talked to him out of curtesy instead of actual interest this time. He didn't like that thought.

It was clear that she wanted to continue her conversation with Natsu, and that she likely acknowledged the ice-mage so as not to be rude. Before, if he showed even a modicum of kindness to her, she would already be naming their fifteenth child in advance. Now she only seemed surprised at his small moment of vulnerability instead of being hungry for it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was also doubly odd that she didn't interrupt as soon as Cana announced his presence.

Natsu lit up immediately when he realized he had to floor to talk again. "When? How about right now-"

" _Naaatsuu….."_ Erza said from the other side of the guild. A black mist seemed to fill the guild, and members (besides a happily smiling Mira) seemed to crouch and avoid her. While Natsu could not see her, he could feel her aura choking him.

"Or maybe next week. Next week is fine. Next month maybe. Or next year! Or, never. Never is good," Natsu said stoically with his back completely straightened.

"S-sure, N-Natsu-san," Juvia said as she too was standing up straightly. The black mist seemed to disappear immediately and both mages took on a sigh of relief.

"Oh, I'm guessing your new partner is Juvia, eh?" Gray said, as he tried to catch their attention. It was best to change subjects after a glare from the red-haired warrior. The fire and water mage immediately looked at him, and he was taken aback by how excited the two looked (as well as relieved as Erza was no longer glaring). Their expressions complimented each other, and he realized how water and fire seemed looked together. His ears began to ring again, but only slightly.

"Damn right!" Natsu said. "I'm sure to get super powerful after training with her!"

"Yes – Juvia is very honored to be considered a training partner for Natsu-san," Juvia said. "Juvia is sure she will be able to grow as well," Gray noted how proud Juvia looked as if she had just overcome a big hurdle. But honestly, what difficulty was there to become a sparring partner to one of the most belligerent guys in Fairy Tail? Regardless, it was nice to see two guildmates get along better. His gut reaction was to puke at their obviously budding friendship, but the moral side of him was secretly proud.

He decided to stay and drink an extra beer or two with Cana, but she had somehow wandered to the other side of the guild to tease Gajeel and Levy. With that, he asked Mira for 3 beers and sat by himself to sit and drink. After such a horrible day, the least he could do was sit down and be in the company of his guild – he would have to think about he saw later.

"'-'nst a big deal," he muttered to himself as he chugged his first beer down.

* * *

"Well. _That_ , I did not expect," Cana said, as she talked to Levy. "I thought he'd bolt once he saw them."

"He probably would have if you didn't force him to stay," Levy commented dryly, as she flipped a page of a book.

"Well, I'm not forcing him now, am I?" Cana retorted with a big grin.

"No, you're not. But I am surprised he decided to stay." Levy wrinkled her nose. Everyone seemed so interested in what was going on between Natsu and Juvia – and watching Gray stumble upon it clearly had the guild watching very closely. Normally she would be just as excited about a potential love triangle, but she knew better this time.

This was for Juvia's sake. The whole reason why any of these things were happening was so that Juvia could become better friends with Fairy Tail members. It was a concern that Gray seemed opposed to this, but Levy hoped that this would not make things more difficulty for Juvia. She turned her head to Gajeel, who seemed ready to fall asleep on the table.

"What do you think, Gajeel?" she asked. It was obvious he heard her, as his ears slightly moved.

"Ice-dick is not my problem," he replied, which caused Cana to perk up slightly.

"Oh? You're not thinking ahead, iron-head!" she cried. "What if Gray gets jealous and makes things harder for Juvia to open up to people?"

"Then maybe it'll be a problem," he said, crossing his arms somewhat tightly. It was obvious that he had no intention to keep talking about this subject, as he began to loudly snore in an attempt to drown out all chatter.

"I doubt Gray would do that to Juvia," Levy said to Cana.

"Not purposely, sure. But I think it's likely to happen."

"I agree," said Erza, interrupting the conversation. She was found sitting next to Gajeel, daintily drinking tea. It was a sight to behold, watching this woman drink in such a sophisticated manner and yet her sword would glean at various angles. No one in the group felt affronted by this, as each member knew she was here to gather more information.

"Where did you come from?" Cana said, feigning surprise. Anything that had to do with Natsu or Gray would usually result in Erza poking in somehow.

"I've been here, Cana," Erza replied in a cool manner.

"I won't assume you were eavesdropping and wanted in on this, so I'll just continue. Should we just sit and watch or –"

"Do anything to help?" Erza quipped in happily. "Juvia deserves to develop better friendships at this point. It's already been a year, and I haven't had the chance to really know her outside of her fighting potential."

"So you're for preventing Gray from making a mess," Cana said, amused.

"Actually," Levy said. "I think it's best to just watch things take their course from this point on. If we interfere, it should only be-"

"When things get out of hand, yes. You're right. That makes sense," Erza nodded, as she sipped more of her tea."

* * *

It was not until later on in the evening that people started to go home. Juvia was one of the first to say her goodbyes to everyone.

"Goodnight, Natsu-san," Juvia said. "We can plan for a mission sometime tomorrow!" Her heart was pounding with just the thought of going somewhere with someone who genuinely seemed to want to know more about her. She had other missions of course, with other people. However, these missions seemed to be lacking when compared to what she normally saw whenever Natsu returned from one of his many. Whenever Natsu completed a mission, he seemed to be best friends or best enemies with his partners. He had constant interactions, which lead to strong bonds with many within the guild, and she admitted that she was jealous in that she could not return with the same atmosphere with anyone but Gajeel. Natsu asked so many questions about how she could manipulate water, and how she refined the precision in her attacks. It was a pleasure to answer, as no one had shown such an interest.

"You know, I don't even know what your place looks like," Natsu said curiously.

"Eh?"

"Yeah, I know Lucy's place like the back of my thumb, but not yours."

"W-well, that is-"

"How about I come visit you sometime?!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Visit! Visit! Visit – and fish?!" Happy chimed in. He had definitely had a habit of flying in and out of conversations.

"S-sure!" said Juvia, completely caught unaware. No one but Gajeel and Levy had normally visited! There was that one time Lucy was being shown around, but even then it was very brief … She would have to make cookies, prepare tea, vacuum, and de-dust for Natsu. She could not ruin her growing friendship by being considered even a modicum dirty!

"Great! Good night, Juvia!" Natsu said as he walked off to talk to Lucy.

Juvia smiled, not noticing her cheeks were slightly pink since he asked to visit her. She also had no idea that nearly everyone but Natsu noticed her facial expression and the near-tears that almost dared to fall.

"She blushed. She blushed for Natsu, and didn't even look at Gray!" Cana whispered to Elfman.

"Does Gray have to man up?" he replied with raised brows.

"Oh my," Mira said, and she wiped a glass clean.

"I can smell a drama coming!"

"I'm putting my bets on Natsu!"

"But he's with Lucy!"

Juvia was in a completely different place to even take notice of these slight whispers, as she happily walked her way towards the exit. Her thoughts focused on creating a stronger bond with one of her nakama and taking a step forward to be seen as Fairy Tail family member. She looked at Gajeel and Levy and waved, signaling that she needed to get home quick. While she expected them to simply wave back, she instead saw Gajeel look at Levy and nod. He was making his way towards her. She raised her brows – didn't he have a mission tomorrow?

"Cookies," Gajeel said with an obvious tone of voice.

"You will buy the ingredients then."

"Fine."

She knew exactly what Gajeel was doing – she needed to unload her excitement onto someone who would handle it. If she went home by herself, she would be off the walls with excitement about the progress she made today. However, this was only the start. It was absolutely mandatory to get Gajeel's feedback on her making-more-friends mission! Could she have done more? Was she too much? Not one thought entered her mind about her beloved, and for a moment she felt surprisingly relieved after realizing it; it felt good not to be outright rejected today.

"Hey," Gajeel said, breaking her out of one her many thoughts. He could already see her being worked up about this. She was always so thorough in her thought process that sometimes it was a fault of hers. At the very least, he could provide one comment on today.

"Yes?" she said, snapping back to reality.

"Not bad," he said. "Could have made him drink an extra 10 gallons of water, though."

"Gajeel-kun! That's not very nice!" she replied. She saw what he meant, however, and smiled at his way of complimenting her.


End file.
